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DOES MEDICARE'S USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS ENABLE IDENTITY THEFT?

By Joel A. Harrison, PhD, MPH

 
February 14, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Identity theft, a growing problem, is regularly in the news. We are warned to keep our Social Security numbers safe, to not carry our SSN cards with us.  But recently, I joined the ranks of Medicare recipients and, to my surprise, found that my Medicare number is my SSN number--and we are instructed to carry it with us at all times.

 


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